


10 Affections Observed By Others

by Tashi_Lupin



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 10 Things, Fluff, Multi, like down comforter fluff, teeny tiny drabbles, there are other characters as well as narrators but i am too lazy to include them in the tagging, titan trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-17 09:59:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2305661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashi_Lupin/pseuds/Tashi_Lupin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten times the titan trio showed each other affection as seen through the eyes of others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sharing Food, Observed by Mikasa

Mikasa idly watched the trio across the breakfast table from her own. The tall one, Bertholdt, split his roll in half with a careful concentration. He was trying to make the hard bread into two equal pieces. He gave one half to Annie, who accepted it without looking at him and the other half to Reiner, who definitely didn’t need another half of a roll. Reiner smiled at his friend in thanks. Mikasa’s eyes flashed in approval at the gesture she had watched. She understood the fondness sharing food implied, often doing the same with Eren and Armin. Mikasa found it nice that humanity still had some good in it, even if it was just fondness between friends.


	2. Cheek Kiss, Observed by Ymir

It was after training, and time to head inside. Like everyone else, Ymir was covered in sweat and dirt and just wanted a glass of water and a shower, but those two dumb boys were standing in the doorway to the barracks. She’d give them two seconds to get out of the way, she was feeling merciful today. She watched them, tapping her foot to the ground. Reiner was standing on his toes and pressed his nose and mouth to Bertholdt’s cheek, face barely at an angle. Ymir blinked at the familiar gesture of love and affection her people gave each other. She was almost positive Reiner was inhaling Bertholdt’s scent as well. It was strange, to see such a sweet, loving gesture of the culture she had been lost to in this human-infested land. She almost smiled.


	3. Hugging, Observed by Connie

Connie was on his way back from a piss when he heard laughing from behind the outhouses. Mildly curious and not really wanting to go back inside, Connie went around back to see who was laughing. To his surprise, it was Bertholdt and Annie. He was pretty sure he had only heard Bertholdt laugh once or twice, and he didn’t think he had seen Annie ever smile let alone laugh. But here they were. Bertholdt had Annie pulled up in a hug, and Annie’s feet must have been a good two feet off the ground. Annie’s arms were around Betholdt’s neck and she had her face buried in his shoulder to muffle her laughter. The two of them were spinning in circle, giggling. Connie decided he better leave the two of them be, in case Annie lifted her head and say him. He’d still tell Sasha about how cute this was though.


	4. Holding Hands, Observed by Christa

If someone wasn’t as attentive to their friends as Christa was, they’d have never noticed that Reiner wasn’t in the greatest mood. He hadn’t done as well as normal in training and had gotten a light scolding from Shadis. Christa was about to go up to him, but Annie slid past her and to his side. Christa watched her fellow trainee grasp Reiner’s bear-paw hand in her small dainty one, intertwining their fingers. Annie said nothing but Christa caught that she had glanced at Reiner reassuringly. His shoulders dropped a little. The two of them walked side by side, hand in hand, and silent in front of Christa they rest of the way back. Christa smiled to herself. It was always so nice to see cold people show warmth to others.


	5. Pillow Talk, Observed by Armin

Armin was drifting off to sleep when he heard Reiner’s voice in a low whisper from his and Bertholdt’s bed saying, “You are both a third of my soul, as the poets say.” Armin heard a sleepy thank you from Bertholdt and Annie telling Reiner to shut up -odd, Armin hadn’t heard her come in- before playfully slapping his arm. Reiner just laughed. Armin opened his eyes to look at the other bunk, and say their three figures intertwined almost like one organism with a single heart, and as Reiner had said, soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the amazing Paige (dreamlordmorpheus), because it contains a paraphrase of a quote from one of their favorite books.


	6. Lullaby, Observed by Marco

It was the middle of the night and pitch black out when Marco woke up to the sound of a woman singing. There was only one candle lit in the whole dormitory, resting on the bed frame adjoined to his. Pushing himself up he observed what the little light the candle flame gave flickered on. Reiner and Bertholdt’s bed. It took Marco a minute to realize it was her, but Annie was sitting at the head of their bed, one hand rubbing Reiner’s shoulder and the other in Bertholdt’s hair. Reiner had his head in Annie lap and Bertholdt was asleep on Reiner’s chest. Annie, in a quiet voice she must have thought no one but Bertholdt and Reiner could hear, was singing. That quiet, secret moment was probably, Marco thought, the most peaceful he had ever seen any of those three. It made him smile. They were good people. They deserved a moment’s peace.


	7. Braiding, Observed by Sasha

Normally, all the trainees stayed in the dining hall after dinner, doing paper home work or having small spars or just talking. Sasha liked it this way, it was like they were all a family. She headed to the Eastern Wall to get another cup of water when she saw Reiner and Annie. Annie was sitting silently, perhaps thinking, perhaps asleep with her eyes open and her hair down from its bun. Reiner sat behind her, chatting aimlessly and Moving his hair in his hands. From the distance she stood from them it took Sasha a moment to realize that Reiner was braiding it, slowly, one bit of hair over the other. Annie didn’t seem to mind. Sasha grinned to herself, Reiner really was like everyone’s big brother, huh? Even Annie’s. It didn’t slip Sasha’s attention the next day that Annie was wearing her hair in a thick braid.


	8. Carrying, Observed by Jean

Jean awoke from a light sleep that had just started to the door to the boy’s dormitory closing. Squinting through the dim light, Jean looked at the door. Bertholdt stood in front, adjusting Reiner in his arms. Reiner was either asleep or passed out. It was hard to tell. Jean hadn’t realized Bertholdt could carry Reiner, but it made sense that if anyone could carry Reiner it was Bertholdt. He carried him bridal-style or like a baby, supporting his legs and back. Reiner was leaning into his friends. Jean watched in a fog as Bertholdt lifted Reiner onto their top bunk with a small grunt before climbing in himself. Jean wondered where they had been. Maybe getting familiar. He snickered to himself as he went back under his blanket. Yeah, that would make sense. They were sweet to each other, Annie too. It wasn’t his business though, and he was more impressed with Bertholdt’s strength than anything else. Jean went back to sleep.


	9. Sleep, Observed by Mina

Training had been hard that day, and classes had been harder. Midterms, the big testings before the Final Tests, started in one short day. Mina glanced out the window, the moon was high in the sky. It was almost tomorrow, and she and most of the other trainees were still in the hall studying for the written and oral testing. Mina noticed that her friend Annie had fallen asleep on Bertholdt and had her head slumped in his lap. Mina smiled sleepily as Bertholdt moved Annie ever so slightly so he could turn his page. Mina hadn’t thought Annie had trusted anyone enough to fall asleep on them, and Mina considered herself to know Annie better than the vast majority of the trainee class. She really shouldn’t be paying attention to them, what did they have to do with basic titan facts?, but Mina had to think that they would make a cute couple. Maybe someday, when they were all older and full fledged soldiers, Annie and Bertholdt would date and get engaged and married, Mina thought to herself. Probably not. Love was dangerous in the military. Mina shook the thought out of her head and almost forgot about it as her eyes tied to comprehend the pages in front of her.


	10. Laughing, Observed by Eren

Eren stomped around the forest, huffing about something Jean had done when he noticed a small clearing. He peeked inside and what he saw almost made him forget why he was mad at Jean. Unaware Eren was watching them, Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie were lying together in the grass. Annie was on her back, Reiner was on his side and Bertholdt was the only one sitting up. They were laughing, almost glowing with happiness. Eren vaguely wondered if he, Mikasa, and Armin ever looked like that. He was sure that once the titans were exterminated everyone would have that glow forever. Annie reached out both her arms to place one hand on Reiner's bicep and the other on Bertholdt's leg. Bertholdt said something that Eren couldn't make out, but it had Reiner in stitches and it looked like Annie was giggling. Feeling he should go spend some time with his own friends, Eren left the three to themselves to laugh and talk. Later, after Annie had been revealed as the Female Titan, Eren thought for a second of what he had seen in the clearing and wondered if Reiner and Bertholdt had known who Annie was. He didn't want to believe they did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, your kudos, your comments, your bookmarks, etc! This has been very fun to write. Keep an eye out for the epilogue to this, "Last Affection" coming sometime hopefully. (That will contain Major Character Death) Thanks for reading, it's been a great ride!


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